


Visible Traces

by seakid



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Adam is So Done, Boys Being Boys, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Gansey being a Dork, M/M, Noah is a Little Shit, Noah is just pretty, Ronan tries to be a shit, not really - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-28
Updated: 2015-09-28
Packaged: 2018-04-23 21:06:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4892257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seakid/pseuds/seakid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was a hickey.</p><p>Adam had seen his fair share peeping out of Aglionby’s contrastingly pristine collars to be this certain. Gansey was looking at it too, only his eyebrows were farther up on his forehead than Adam’s were. To say Adam wasn’t surprised would be a lie, but damn him if he was going to show it. He’d known Ronan for too long to allow himself the exact reaction Ronan’s terrible smirk was waiting for. He looked away.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Visible Traces

**Author's Note:**

> ~this is my first, treat it well~

It was a hickey.

Adam had seen his fair share peeping out of Aglionby’s contrastingly pristine collars to be this certain. Gansey was looking at it too, only his eyebrows were farther up on his forehead than Adam’s were. To say Adam wasn’t surprised would be a lie, but damn him if he was going to show it. He’d known Ronan for too long to allow himself the exact reaction Ronan’s terrible smirk was waiting for. He looked away.

“Why, Gansey, if I didn’t know better I’d think you’re staring because you want to jump me right here. But I’m pretty sure you don’t even know what it is, so. Thank God,” Ronan said, and Gansey’s eyes widened. Embarrassing Gansey was Ronan’s favorite game. Although Adam supposed it came second to embarrassing Declan.

“I know what it is,” Gansey muttered, too quickly. Adam stifled a laugh and shook his head. Gansey frowned, snatching the keys and trying (failing) to storm out of the room. Adam let out a laugh now, turning to catch an amused grin on Ronan’s face.

“Dunno what you’re laughing at,” Ronan said pointedly, even as he was grinning, and followed Gansey. Adam felt his stomach lurch. Cabeswater was calling, he thought hurriedly, and ran to catch up.

~

Ronan was decidedly showing off. There was no other reason for him to keep turning his head in the other direction so much. He kept touching it, too. Maybe it hurt; Adam wouldn’t know. There was something equally disconcerting and alluring about the mark. Adam was decidedly not looking at it.

Blue was the one to speak the thing on everyone’s mind, “Where’d you get that?” She looked awed more than anything.

“Dollar City,” Ronan said. He might as well have been talking about the leather band he was chewing. Adam didn’t know where the bands had come from, but he knew Ronan was just fucking around. He also knew Blue wasn’t taking that for an answer.

“What did it cost you? Other than your dignity, I mean?”

Ronan looked at her now, letting the band drop from his lips. Gansey flashed a troubled look between them. “You seem awfully interested,” Ronan narrowed his eyes, “I don’t think they sell to anyone looking under fourteen, though.”

“Okay,” Gansey interjected before Blue could say anything, “Adam, where to?” Adam turned from Blue’s aggravated face to the wide expanse of trees around them. It was a warm day in Henrietta, but the weather in Cabeswater was cool and humid. It felt oddly foggy. He normally went alone on these missions to fix the ley line, after that unpleasant experience with Noah and Blue, but it was a Sunday and Gansey had insisted that they’d get a chance to explore Cabeswater more. Ronan didn’t seem to have any complaints, but it wasn’t like Gansey gave him a choice. They’d already fixed what was meant to be fixed, and were now walking aimlessly around. Adam didn’t know what Gansey had expected him to answer, but it was always Adam’s opinion on such matters that he asked for. He shrugged, looking around for anything that looked mildly interesting. His eyes snagged somewhere near Ronan’s neck, but he didn’t suppose Gansey would be too impressed with that answer.

“Fuck this, I’m hungry,” Ronan said after a while of silence, and started in the direction of the car. Gansey sighed.

~

 Adam was growing slightly agitated. There was a fresh bruise on Ronan’s neck. He was sure he hadn’t seen it before now. There had been three after the first one. Gansey was mortified, but kept his mouth shut. They had to stop someday, right. Adam thought the only reason Ronan was keeping up with this was to see Gansey flustered. This one was just along Ronan’s sharp jaw; it was smaller, but more vicious. Ronan had done no effort to conceal it, but he did look considerably embarrassed when Adam had raised his eyebrows at it. Or guilty. It hadn’t lasted at all, though.

Who is he allowing to mark his skin like that?

Ronan didn’t seem to him as the type that let people brand him, but then he had also once thought there was something behind Ronan’s stares and pointed looks, so he figured he didn’t know the guy as well as he thought he did. He was starting to realize he didn’t know Ronan at all. It was stupid of course, to think Ronan could ever want someone like him, but the idea of Ronan wanting anyone at all was just as stupid. Or troubling, to say the least.

Adam had a nasty itch to know who it was that Ronan was letting to suck on his stupid neck. Who was worthy enough to leave a mark on Ronan Lynch?

“You’re staring, Parrish,” Ronan declared. “Again.”

Adam hastily looked up, his ears were burning. He wasn’t going to give Ronan the satisfaction of making him uncomfortable. “Who is giving you those?”

All casual.

“None of your business,” Ronan muttered, but Adam could’ve sworn his cheeks colored up. They were sitting in Agnes, on Adam’s excuse of a bed. They were alone. Adam saw no reason to not press on. He leaned forward, narrowing his eyes. He felt bold and small at the same time under Ronan’s gaze. Ronan cocked his head, almost challenging. Adam could see the  dark red mark more clearly, now, but he kept his eyes fixed on Ronan’s. 

“I didn’t know you had a girlfriend,” He said. He was playing it safe.

“I don’t.”

“Who gave it to you, then?”

“God, Parrish, I didn’t know you were so interested in my sex life.”

“I’m not.”

Ronan smirked in a way that made Adam realize this had been a bad idea. Ronan was suddenly in his space, closer than he’d been before. His face loomed dangerously above Adam’s. Adam didn’t know if he was doing this on purpose but the bruise was now inches away from his nose. He instinctively leaned away. Ronan held his gaze for a while, his face as indecipherable as ever and then, “You’re just jealous.”

Adam placed a palm on his chest and pushed, “Why would I be? I don’t want disgusting marks on my skin, thanks.” Ronan sat back a little, raised an eyebrow, “Disgusting? Just because you’re incapable of getting any doesn’t make it disgusting, Parrish, for god’s sake. Get off your fucking high horse.”

He was right. Adam was jealous.

“If you’re that proud of it why won’t you tell us who gave it to you?” His voice was surprisingly steady. Ronan looked away. He thought he’d won. “Did you really _buy_ it at Dollar City?” he prodded, just to get a reaction. Ronan’s jaw tightened, his eyes flicked back to Adam’s face. Adam knew what he was insinuating, but he had to know. _Who is worthy of leaving a mark on Ronan Lynch?_

 “I don’t need to get a girlfriend just to get a kiss out of her unlike you, you know. Oh right, Sargent never did kiss you, did she? Too bad you’re the one that needs a trip to Dollar City,” Ronan sneered. “Too bad you can’t afford one.”

Adam felt sick. His hand fisted around Ronan’s shirt where his palm was placed on his chest from before. “Fuck you.”

Ronan looked like he was bored with this conversation already. He’d made his point. His fingers gripped Adam’s wrist before Adam could shove him, and pulled it till his shirt fell free of Adam’s grasp. There was no winning against Ronan Lynch. He knew precisely where to hit.

Adam didn’t try to pull his wrist free. He was too busy trying to calm his heartbeat down. Too busy not punching Ronan in the face. Ronan let his hand fall onto the mattress.

He said, “Parrish.” It sounded the closest thing to an apology Ronan was capable of. Adam saw Ronan’s fingers reach the mark unconsciously, but he seemed to realize this and scratched the back of his neck like that was the intention all along. Adam closed his eyes, he couldn’t let his anger take over. He wouldn’t.  Ronan was gone when he opened them.

~

It was almost a week later that Ronan showed up with another hickey, just above where the tattoo curled around his neck. “Woah, slow down a bit,” Noah grinned, touching the bruise with appreciation.

“Keep your cold eager hands off me, Noah,” Ronan said, “I’m flattered, honestly, but it’s creepy as fuck.”

Noah pouted for a second, dropping his hand, but then he smirked and whispered something in Ronan’s ear. Adam thought he saw Ronan’s eyes turn to him for a second. Whatever Noah said to him must have been pretty bad, because Adam had never seen Ronan flush so much so that he responded a minute too late. Noah was giggling behind his hand.

Gansey was watching all this unfold with a flicker of amusement in his saintly eyes. When Ronan had finished swearing at Noah, Gansey asked, “Noah knows who it is?” Ronan glared at Noah.  Noah didn’t say anything.

“I can’t believe you told Noah and not me,” Gansey said. Adam looked down at his battered pair of shoes; they’d become worse and brown from their frequent Cabeswater visits. “I didn’t tell him,” Ronan said, annoyed, but he had the decency to wait for Noah to disappear before adding, “He has a terrible habit of prying in people’s life since he doesn’t have one of his own.”

~

“Lynch, we’re not leaving till you tell us who’s been sucking at you like a leech,” Blue said, turning abruptly up ahead and blocking their path. Gansey shook his head at her, pleading. Bad idea, abort, abort, he was saying. That or he was just disapproving her choice of words, it was difficult to say. Adam turned behind to see Ronan. He wasn’t too far behind them but he wasn’t in any hurry to catch up to them either.

“Parrish,” Ronan answered, uninterestedly walking towards them. They stared. Ronan’s lips curled. Blue’s mouth was hanging open. “He sucks the fun and life out of me,” Ronan deadpanned as he stopped in front of them and then burst out laughing. Blue threw a rock at him, and kept walking, exasperated. Gansey shook his head. Adam turned to Ronan with every intention of flipping him off, but Ronan was giving him an odd amused look which caught Adam unawares. And then he winked and Adam felt his stomach drop. He flipped Ronan off.

~

“Stop it,” Adam snapped. Ronan had come in uninvited, not that Adam had protested. But he had proceeded to sit on the bed, in front of him and was making it very difficult for Adam to focus on History. It took Adam a while to realize he was doing it on purpose.

“Stop what?” Ronan looked up from Chainsaw in his lap. He was trying to feign surprise.

“Stop doing this,” Adam said, thrashing his book down on the bed.

“Feeding Chainsaw?” Now he seemed genuinely offended.  Chainsaw did, too.

“No. Well, yeah, that too, she’s distracting me.”

“What?” He kept a hand on her head protectively.

“Stop trying to provoke me.”

“Am I being a problem to you, Parrish?”

“This is exactly what I’m talking about! Stop doing this. I know you’re only getting all those hickeys from god-knows-where to get Gansey riled up,” Adam pointed a finger at him. “And even if you’re not, Gansey is real worked up because you won’t tell us who you’re getting them from. He thinks you’re back to racing. Stop it.”

“I thought I told you where I’m getting them from.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Whatever. It’s none of Gansey’s business what I do, anyway. Stop obsessing over my sex life for at least a second, _Jesus_.”

Adam looked at him for a while. “Stop teasing me,” he blurted out.

Ronan raised an eyebrow.

He’d gone too far to back out, now. “You keep touching it when I look at you.” It was more a statement than accusation. Ronan opened his mouth and closed it. Adam thought he looked more alert now.

“You keep staring at it.” This wasn’t an accusation, either. Adam felt heat in his cheeks. He didn’t deny it, either.

“It’s distracting,” Adam said sheepishly. Ronan gave him a look that made him regret all of his life decisions. Ronan was waiting for more. “Back in Cabeswater-” he stopped; he couldn’t do it. Not with Ronan looking like he was hanging on to every word.

“I don’t lie,” Ronan said instead. It was a confession.

It didn’t make any sense. Adam frowned at the bruise. He wanted to touch it, like Noah had. “It came from a dream.” Adam almost didn’t hear it. His eyes snapped up to Ronan’s face. Ronan was fidgeting with Chainsaw.

It made sense, now.

Adam saw himself reach for it with a quiet riot in his heart, but Ronan allowed it. His fingers brushed against faint red skin, he sucked a breath. “I did this?” It was embarrassingly raw, his voice. He couldn’t imagine being in Ronan’s dream, he couldn’t imagine Ronan dreaming about him. What had he dreamt? Had he dreamt Adam sink his teeth right here? Had he dreamt Adam take his skin into his mouth? 

_Had Ronan wanted it so bad that he had stolen it?_

Chainsaw flapped between them, Adam jerked his hand away. Ronan was watching him without giving anything away, but his eyes were less fierce.  

“I’ll stop,” Ronan said, abruptly getting up. “Come on,” he said to Chainsaw, who obediently jumped to perch on his shoulder and then he left, leaving Adam feeling strangely empty on the frail mattress .

~

Once he started thinking about it, he couldn’t stop. He couldn’t sleep. The shame wore him down each time he saw the bags under Ronan’s eyes. The next time Ronan came over to his shitty apartment looking angrier than usual, Adam decided he couldn’t take it anymore.

He watched Ronan fiddle with his lamp for two more minutes before he said it. “If you want one, just ask for it. Don’t be so fucking miserable about it.”

Ronan snorted, “Didn’t know you were gagging for it, Parrish, why didn’t you say so before?”

Adam glared at him. Ronan smirked sharply, tilted his head. His bared throat was anything if not an invitation. A dare. Adam crawled forward in what he hoped was a threatening stance. Ronan’s smirk faltered for just a moment. Adam shoved him into the headrest; he could feel Ronan’s frantic heartbeats beneath his palm. “Fuck, Parrish,” Ronan winced when his head met the wall with a thud, “What the fuck?”

“Don’t be a dick.”

“ _I’m_ being a dick?” Ronan said, somewhat incredulous. “Look, I don’t always control my dreams, alright. I couldn’t help it. And I stopped, didn’t I? You can stop making me feel shit about it now, please.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do!” Adam grabbed his shoulders.

Ronan scoffed, “By shoving me around?”

“I want you to say it.”

“You already know.”

Adam pushed him slightly, dropping his hands. “And you never bothered to ask me about it.”

“The fuck does it matter.”

Adam shook his head; there was no winning against Ronan Lynch. “It matters,” he said. Ronan’s eyebrow twitched. Adam couldn’t take it. He pushed Ronan against the wall again and smashed their lips together. He hadn’t taken into account the distance between them, and smashing lips together wasn’t as easy as they made it look, he realized. He’d almost fallen over Ronan; his knee was folded onto Ronan’s stomach, their noses bumped horribly. He pulled back hurriedly. He’d never seen Ronan so terrified. He blinked. This had been a huge mistake. But there were fingers snaking around neck and pulling him and Ronan’s lips were on his again. It was better this time. Adam heard Ronan take a sharp breath, and he dissolved into that sound, so irrevocably that he didn’t realize when he had tilted his head for a better angle, when his fingers had found themselves hooked on Ronan’s waist.

Ronan kissed in odd variations of hard and soft; his tongue was sharp as Adam had predicted, but it curled around his in a way that reminded Adam of waves crashing to the shore. Adam hadn’t done this before; he had no way of knowing if all kisses felt like being lost and alone in the woods. But it was just as exhilarating to know he was here, he was here and he was kissing Ronan Lynch, devil of a boy.

When Ronan surfaced, his eyes furiously shut close, his lips parted and swollen, Adam felt his panic heave itself out along with strained breaths. His eyes fell to Ronan’s neck. He was doing it before he could stop himself, and Ronan swore, gripping his hair, although Adam could hear the smirk in his voice.

Adam trailed his lips along the pulse in Ronan’s neck.

~

Ronan flipped them over till he was straddling Adam. His eyes were dark. Adam arched his hips against Ronan’s and grinned smugly at the swear that it warranted. Ronan looked outrageously fascinating with only his jeans and the red flush to cover him up. He was sporting a fresh bruise on his right collarbone.

Adam pulled him down for a kiss, pulled their hips together, just to hear Ronan moan. He could never get enough of that sound. Ronan’s hand slid inside the waistband of his boxers, and Adam was gone, far too gone for forming a coherent thought.

~

“There are other things you could suck after you’re done with my neck, you know.”

“I know.”

“Thank fuck.”

~

“Adam!” Gansey gasped beside him, and Adam hurriedly rubbed at his neck. “You too?” Gansey hissed. Ronan’s leg nudged his under the table. There was a vicious smile playing on his lips. He was making a point.

There was no winning against Ronan Lynch.

Adam cursed him under his breath.                                 

**Author's Note:**

> ~this isn't my best writing and i'm not totally happy with it, but meh. also, it's unbeta'd so if there are any silly mistakes, please let me know! im just really obsessed with the idea of ronan pulling hickeys from his adam-dreams eep  
> much love~


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